Women in Engineering camp teaches ambitious girls skills

HOUGHTON — Roller Coasters, automobiles, aqueducts, they are all products of ambitious engineering and these high school girls are learning about it hands-on.

Roughly 140 young women are taking part in the weeklong Summer Youth Program from Michigan Tech called Women In Engineering.

Program Residence Counselor, and 3rd year Michigan Tech Civil Engineering major, Megann Dykema said, “Our camp helps the student to be able to see all the different kinds of engineering and it’s really a great insight into exploring what they might want to do. They get a chance to explore every singe type of engineering, and then work on to different group projects throughout the week that do different focuses so they can even dive deeper.”

As part of Destination Imagination Solutions, the students worked together to complete complex engineering challenges.

It’s a lot of work, but well worth it.

South Lyon resident Jennifer Ascher is a junior in high school and attending her first Summer Youth Program. “It’s been so much fun,” said Ascher.

“I’m so sleep deprived but it’s so great! I’ve learned how to solder; we’ve built a lot of really cool things. We made a motor yesterday. We’re building cars right now that are trying to go down a ramp. It’s been really fun and I’ve met so many awesome people.”